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Saturday, May 15, 2010

Cinnamon Toast the Pioneer Woman Way

***Welcome Pinterest Visitors!I'm so glad you decided to clink on this recipe, that has suddenly gone viral on Pinterest. I do hope you like what you see, will take the take to leave a comment, and I hope you'll come back to visit. This is one of my earliest recipe-- taken with my old point-and-shoot camera (and my photography has much improved over the last few years). I've got hundreds more since I started this blog in 2008. Enjoy, and you'll find a printable recipe card at the very end of this post**

I have a confession to make. I strive to cook "real food". By that, I mean that I like to cook meals for my family, using fresh ingredients-- organic, as much as possible. You will never find a tub of frozen fake whipped topping or canned cream soups in my pantry. I make all of my cakes and cookies from scratch. Sounds impressive? So, here's my confession-- I still love "comfort foods"! I also have a sweet tooth (ya think?)

When I was in high school, I can remember racing to the cafeteria to buy a slice of their famous cinnamon toast. It sold out in minutes, because most of the student body loved it as much as I did. If I was lucky enough to make it in line, a cafeteria worker would lift a piece of cinnamon toast, off a baking sheet. Score! I can remember savoring that crunchy piece of bread with a heavenly balance of cinnamon and butter. It was more than butter toast, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.

I can't begin to describe it, but I longed for some of that toast many, MANY years later. I gave up trying to recreate it-- until the Pioneer Woman posted her version of making cinnamon toast on her blog. Ree Drummond is evil. She has no shame when it comes to ways of cooking and baking with butter. I wondered, was this the long-lost recipe?

I mean, how hard is it to make cinnamon toast? You toast bread, slather it with softened butter and sprinkle cinnamon sugar. Right? Well... this version has two simple little twists. I mean, eensie weensie changes that are so darn simple, that I wonder why I didn't think of it myself?

On a Saturday morning, this was destined to be made.The night before, I removed a stick of butter so it would be nice and soft... this morning, I preheated the oven to 350F.

Do you really need a recipe for cinnamon toast? Butter? Check. Cinnamon? Check. Vanilla? What? That's Ree's secret ingredient-- vanilla. That's Twist #1. Brilliant! Nutmeg, optional? Next time. I'll play it safe. Oh, and that's my DEMY Digital Recipe Reader**. I had already copied and pasted Ree's recipe so I had it handy. I love this new toy of mine. I have all of my recipes at my fingertips-- literally.

** NOTE: Many of my readers have bought the Digital Recipe Reader. Just know, that you will need to start a FREE account with Key Ingredient . You can, easily, create your own recipe card, which will "sync" to your recipe reader. It takes about one minute, to create a recipe card. Yes, you can cut and paste recipes. I store all of my recipe cards on Key Ingredient, that you see at the bottom of each post.

Back to the recipe...

Twist #2: Smush the butter, add the sugar and cinnamon and a teaspoon of vanilla. Now, in the theme of keeping it real-- I'm using whole wheat bread, since butter and sugar aren't exactly "health foods".

Spread on slices of bread, completely covering the surface all the way to the edges.

Place toast on a cookie sheet. Place cookies sheet into the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil until golden brown and bubbling--45 to 60 seconds should do it. Watch so it won’t burn!

UPDATE: I found that using my toaster oven is a faster/easier way, when making this for two people. I toast the bread, until just before it's golden brown. I then slather on the cinnamon-butter and turn the toaster oven to "broil". Watch it, carefully, and remove just as the topping begins to bubble. This way, I don't have "soggy bread syndrome" on the bottom. Works great!

Slice in half diagonally. Be sure to have hot coffee ready. Oh, and don't forget the newspaper!

I take my coffee with cream and...um, sugar.

Ahhhh. For a fleeting moment, I could hear the school bells ringing that morning break was over. Bliss. Oh, wait a minute! I work at a high school! I hear those bells every morning, but they don't serve this cinnamon toast. They should-- it's much better than bagels and cream cheese, with smushed hot cheetos. (I don't eat that stuff, but the kids do! )

VERDICT: This isn't plain old cinnamon toast. It's buttery, with a crunchy texture of cinnamon-sugar. The notes of vanilla adds an extra layer of "yum". I also made this in a toaster-oven, which worked out perfectly. This comes pretty close to the flavors of my homemade cinnamon rolls. Your kids (and husband) will thank you. Thank you, Pioneer Woman, for sharing this recipe. Who knew something so simple, could be so good? I'm telling you, adding vanilla makes all the difference in the world!UPDATE: I get lots of comments and emails that this is just as easy to make in a toaster. To be honest, it's broiling the cinnamon-vanilla butter that gives this toast such a great texture.

I always post a printable recipe card at
the end of each recipe post. If you cannot view it, you might be using
an older version of InternetExplorer. You should be able to view my
recipe cards with Safari, Mozilla, Google Chrome and Internet Explorer.If you still can't view the recipe card, all of my recipes are stored on Key Ingredient, by clicking here.

103 comments:

That cinnamon toast really hit home. I am a new follower and I LOVE YOUR BLOG. I love to cook from scratch as much as I can so I will be checking out your recipes, for sure. Have a great weekend. Deb (Carleton Place, Ontario Canada)

This does look great - but so do all of your photos and recipes. My mind is boggling at all the great ideas and recipes I want to try. I like best how you incorporate garden produce in so many items - yay for green you!

I make something similar to this bread - but I don't have to use arm power or a mixer for it- lazy me. I cut leftover french bread into 1 1/2 in. slices, then cut across slices so that you have thick rectangles/batons. Dip in melted butter - don't bother to clarify. Then roll in a mixture of 1 cup sugar, 1 tbsp cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp cardamom, mixed together in a shallow bowl, gently patting the bread sticks for a good coating. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven about 15 minutes, or until browned and crispy. I usually turn them over with tongs after the 1st 10 min. Bake the bread in a 15x11x1 in. pan with a rack - I use parchment or a silpat underneath to keep bubbling sugar cleanup to a minimum. Cool slightly on a rack to keep crisp and prevent burning your mouth by cramming one in [because the aroma is so great - the cardamom? - hmm.] Delicious with crisp bacon and some creamy hot chocolate on a snowy Saturday [which I hope are over for the year.] Recently served to some friends who biked over with big appetites - they were inhaled. No talking at the table while they drank 2 pots of coffee and ate a whole loaf of French bread - with butter and spiced sugar, natch! Thanks again from a grateful reader --Maureen O.

Yep, that's the way my mother made it. Only difference is she toasted the bread on one side, took it out of the oven, then spread the yummy goodness on the other side and put it back in the oven. Adds that extra crunch and texture. You can also make up your "spread" in large patches and keep in the refrigerator. Saves time.

My dad taught me to make toast in the toaster then slap butter on thick, sprinkle with an excessive amount of cinnamon and sugar and microwave for 10 seconds to make sure the butter is melted fully, 34 years later I still make this weekly! :) But I hate using the oven, maybe I am just lazy. LOL

My Grandmother from Arkansas use to make me something similiar...except she just put a thick coat of butter on a slice of white bread-then sprinkle a light dusting of sugar on it and pop it into the broiler. The sugar carmalizes and its yummy!Thanks for the memories!Melisa H.

Dear Anonymous:Hmmm, I'm getting daily anonymous comments on my blog. Is that you?If you read my tongue in cheek narration, I say that I have eliminated processed foods, and yet I do have a sweet tooth.I'm not perfect. What you won't find it my house is fast food, frozen processed dinners, canned creamed soups, fake whipped cream etc. Lighten up, okay?

Yesss!!! I am planning to try this next week when my kids come home for their first college spring break! They are counting down the days until they can get "real" food, and they will LOVE this! I'm having trouble seeing the amounts on the recipe - is it 1/2 cup sugar and 1-1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon?

Thank goodness for Pinterest!! I had cinnamon toast like every day when I was a kid - great memories :) Doing it this way is outta this world though. And I like how you plopped on a whole lot of the mix. YUM. I had it twice today, but let's keep that between us!

I used to make this for my kids when I didn't want to go all out and make french toast the traditional way. Liberally butter toast and then drizzle with maple syrup and lightly dust with powdered sugar. Tastes so much like the real thing they will be satisfied

Hi Debby, thanks for the blog! At first glance, my brain read "french" instead of just "cinnamon" so as I read the directions I was quite confused that there were no eggs involved!! It wasn't until the end that my brain clicked on and I realized this was NOT for french toast, but cinnamon toast!! Too funny. I am excited to try this kind of cinnamon toast, b/c yes, I am totally of the variety that toasts a piece of bread, then spreads (peanut) butter and sprinkles cinn. sugar on. Just to clarify, there was nothing in the post that was confusing, it was just my brain!! Great post, thank you!

I found this recipe via Pinterest, and it looked so good that I just had to try it! I made it this morning for my family and it blew my mind! It is soooooo delicious. The edges get all crunchy and have crystallized sugar on them and the middle is a bit gooey. I will never make cinnamon toast any other way! The vanilla absolutely makes this so special! I did add a bit of the nutmeg, and I really enjoyed the flavor combo. Thanks so much for posting!

My mom made cinnamon toast for us similar to this. She would just slather the bread with butter than sprinkle on sugar and cinnamon than pop it under the broiler till melted and slightly toasted. One side was toasty and the other side still soft and gooey. So yummy dipped in hot chocolate! This is definitely a more "gourmet" version than what I am use to but looks worth it. Yummy! :)

Sounds yummy, can't wait to try it. My mom used to do something similar when we were kids. She would take left over hamburger and hot dogs rolls and thickly butter them then sprinkle on a mix of sugar, cinnamon and brown sugar. Then bake. The rolls added a bit of softness under the crispy sugar and toasted edges. Ahh, comfort food sweets. :o)

Thank you four sharing this. Yes, Pinterestis exponential like that. You have some awesome recipes and tips.I used to love eating my mom's cinnamon toast as a kid, but I'd never thought of mixing all the ingredients together before hand. And the vanilla... is genius.Happy cooking ~

Thanks foodiewife for taking an American staple and making it the best it can be. I've made a butter, cinnamon, sugar & nutmeg mix to keep in the refrigerator so cinnamon toast at anytime. With a toaster oven, I'm eating too much of it. Looking forward to spending some time thru your other recipes.

I just made these and we loved them, I added my own twist by slicing an apple pretty thinly and putting the slices on top of the spread and then adding another small touch of spread. Our weather is chilly today and the apples helped satisfy a sudden craving for apple dumplings!

Becca, if you are referring to Pioneer Woman, it is mentioned all over this page. If not, give whoever it is the plug they deserve. Please, help remedy what you think is wrong and not just make it worse.

Dear Becca,You don't have an email on your blogs, so I had to leave a comment. I do know blog etiquette, thank you very much. I guess your glasses were fogged, so you couldn't see that I said "thank you Pioneer Woman" nor did you see that my recipe card says it's from the Pioneer Woman? I always give credit where it's due, and NEVER claim credit for a recipe that isn't mine. That's common courtesy, and I understand about copyrights. Have a great day, though I doubt you'll be back to read my response. Thank you JRachelle for your response.

I am so glad that I come across this recipe. My elementary school had cinnamon toast like this too! I haven't thought about it in a long time. It was the best thing in the world. I plan to make this tomorrow.

Camille, I don't think it' s all that much healthier. I have Type II diabetes and my son has Type I. The Diabetes association says there is no clinical proof that Agave nor Stevia is "healthier" than white sugar. I still say "moderation".

Thank you, Priscilla! I chose to leave Becca's rude comment on (I could have deleted it). Part of being a food blogger is that you can be the target of harsh criticism. But those are few and far between from the wonderful people I've met through my blog.Debby

I'm too lazy to do all that, but I make kinda the same. Just butter bread, sprinkle cinnamon, then sugar in top and broil until sugar is crunchy. Be careful not to burn it. The bottom of bread is soft like a roll. My sister do it that way since I was little.

My Great grandmother is from Arkansas too & she use to make it for us with a hot bowl of oatmeal before we went to school. I use to make it for my son when he was little & he still ask for it w/ oatmeal. Great memories! Trish

This is how my mother taught me to make cinnamon toast, but she didn't use vanilla and she didn't mix the cinnamon/ sugar with the butter but sprinkled it on top. Then into the broiler. This was probably one if the firsts "dishes" I learned to make by myself as a child. Haven't made it yet, but I'm quite confident that Lee D's recipe is an evolutionary advance!

I have looked, and totally may have missed it on your blog or someone's comments, but do you butter both sides of the bread or just the top? Wasn't sure how the bottom of the bread would turn out if left alone. I can't wait to try this! I have only just sprinkled the cinnamon and sugar on buttered toast :-)

OMG what a day. I concur with 2 others this was served with oatmeal and jar of c&s sprinkled over butter and under the broiler. Great memories of mom and love. Thanks for the smile. And idea...cold here in NE Ohio

I grew up with a version of this! Loved it then and still love it! My dad used to butter the bread then sprinkle sugar then cinnamon on it. Then pop it under the briiler for short time (burns easily!)! Gonna try it your way and with the vanilla next time! Sounds easier!

We made this toast in Jr. High (1970) in home economics. It was called Cinnamon Bubble Toast. We first toasted one side of the toast plain under the broiler then flipped it over and spread on the butter/cinnamon/sugar and returned it to the broiler. This way both sides are crispy! Enjoy, it is so yummy!

Cinnamon bubble toast... I like that name! Yep, I used to buy a toast like this at my high school. This reminds me of it.I still can't believe this post is a top pinner! The photograph that was pinned is out of focus, and not my best work...but, it's safe to say that cinnamon toast is such a comfort food and people love it.Thanks for the comments.

My mama used to make us this same recipe when we were kids. The crunchy broiled sugar/butter was heavenly when we'd come in from the cold outside. She served it with hot chocolate. I've made this for my kids and I think I'll have to make it for my grandbabies...thank you for the lovely memory.

Welcome!

Welcome to my internet kitchen. Please, sit back and relax, and watch me make delicious food and bakery recipes. Most of my recipes are simple, flavorful meals-- and a few baked treats. I focus on using fresh, seasonal ingredients and I try to avoid using boxed mixes and processed foods. I'm having fun learning how to cook like my grandmother once did-- from scratch! I hope that my step-by-step photos will inspire a timid cook to try them. Even if you're a seasoned cook, hopefully you'll learn a new tip or two.

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